


i’m on your side.

by protect_rosie



Series: let's prove them wrong [6]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Recklessness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-23 10:29:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3764791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protect_rosie/pseuds/protect_rosie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>when you’re a little on the wild side, sometimes you leave your parents with no other choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i’m on your side.

**Author's Note:**

> if you found this by searching your name, please click the back arrow or the ‘x’ on the top right corner and you should be good. that being said **this is a work of fiction, therefore not true at all, and it should never be considered so.**
> 
> ok, so I haven’t really had the inspiration for anything else and I really wish I did. the second part to [this](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3725482) piece is still a major WIP because I can’t get past this particular scene and I might just throw the draft I have out the window and just begin a new one because I’m not really sure the one I have is good. anyway the inspiration for this piece comes from this one novela I’m watching where this girl’s mother is the wife of a king and she wants her daughter (her only daughter at that) to marry her most loyal servant (he’s on some sort of counsel with the king or something?) because she doesn’t trust anyone else to marry her. and then they fall in love (eventually) and have like two kids or something.
> 
> title from _[Save Me](http://us.audionetwork.com/browse/m/track/save-me_30815)_ by Bob Bradley and Giuseppe De Luca
> 
> enjoy!

“...and we’re tired of your attitude,” Tyler’s dad says, taking a sip of his coffee. “Your mother and I tried to raise you as best we could, but even with that, it seems like you don’t want to listen to us.”

“But I did nothing wrong!” Tyler complains. “I just went out with my friends and had a little fun. What’s so wrong about that? I’m young and that’s what I want to do.”

“You’re a prince! It isn’t acceptable for you to behave that way. Do you think anyone’s going to want to marry you if you keep on making those type of scenes?”

“Dad, I don’t care if no one wants to marry me or not. I barely turned twenty, do you honestly think that I want to get married right now?”

“Barely? You turned twenty about eleven months ago. Now, whether you want to or not, that is no longer any of your concern. Your mother and I have found a wonderful young man that is more than w-”

“You what!?” he asks, eyes wide in surprise. “There is no way I’m going to consent to this farce of a marriage. No, no, I don’t want to get married.”

“Like I said, Tyler, whether you want to or not, this is no longer any of your concern. I am the king of this country and therefore I act upon what I see fit. And what I see fit, is for you to get married next week to Lord Jamie of Bayapand.” 

“ _Jamie!?_ You mean boring Jamie who spends his days in his fucking study, Jamie? He’s so boring and there’s no way he’ll ever be able to give me the life I’m used to.”

“And that’s exactly why we chose him. He’s a stable young man, with a bright future. He is not boring he simply knows what is acceptable for a man of his stature. The reason why he spends most of his time in his study is because he’s in charge of our commerce,” he continues. “He’s steady enough that you won’t do things that aren’t acceptable, and that you’ll start behaving like the prince you are.”

“I hate you.”

\--

_My dear James,_  
_I regret to inform you that my parents have chosen to do something horrible to me. Today, before I got the chance to tell my father about our relationship, my father told me I was to wed Lord Jamie of Bayapand next week. I do not wish to marry him for I do not love him. There's only one person I love and want to be with and that's you. I do not know how I'll be getting out of this mess, but I sincerely hope you will help me get this sorted out._  
_With love,_  
_Tyler._

_Tyler,_  
_It deeply saddens me that your parents are condemning you to such a cruel fate. I do not know how to aid you and our relationship. I am, what one would say 'stuck.' I do, however, have an idea.Your parents sent mine an invitation for a ball that's happening in two days, we can run away then. Be together forever. Let me know what you think so I can make arrangements to get us out of the country as quickly as possible._  
_love,_  
_James._

_James,_  
_How do you propose that we run away? Because my answer is a definitive yes. I don't care what my father says, I am not marrying Lord Boring of Boringpand._  
_xoxo,_  
_Tyler._

\--

"Your highness," Tyler's servant says the day of the ball. "His Majesty, King Paul has requested your presence immediately." 

"But it's not yet time for the ball," Tyler replies, fixing his tie as he looks in the mirror. "I am in no shape to meet His Majesty right now."

"Your highness, I do not know what mood His Majesty is in right now, all I know is that your highness' presence has been requested upon relay of the message."

"Okay, then, tell His Majesty that I will be down there as soon as I am decent."

"With your permission, your highness," he says, bowing before he exits the room. 

Tyler huffs. He hopes his father isn't calling him down to drop big news again, because if his parents have decided to do something without asking him first again, he's going to throw a huge fit. He doesn't need any more things to be dumped on him; the simple thought of his parents wanting him to marry Lord Jamie of Bayapand is scary enough. He's only twenty, for christ's sake, he doesn't want to get married to anyone, not even James. 

Once his tie is fixed, he exits his room and makes his way to his father's study, which is probably where he is. He's not there when he arrives, however, so Tyler goes downstairs and into the meeting room. His father is there, along with his mother, when Tyler arrives. 

"Your Majesty," he says, bowing. "Mom."

"Ah, Tyler," his father says, waving him over. "Come, come, your mother and I must speak to you about something important."

"What? Are you going to tell me that you've finally fallen into reason and that you're not making me get married to Lord Boring?"

"Tyler!" his mother exclaims, giving him a warning look. "You mustn't speak ill of your future husband like that. Lord Jamie is a wonderful person that you will grow fond of, I assure you."

"Your mother is right, you and Lord Jamie will have a happy and long lasting marriage like your mother and I's. You may hate me right now, you may think that I am being unjust, by making you marry someone you barely even know, but I assure you, it's for your own good and benefit."

"Explain to me father, explain to me how exactly this farce is going to be for my own good? Last I checked, marriage is supposed to be between two people who love and adore each other, not two complete strangers!"

"You want to know why it's for your own good?" his father asks, voice booming -- he's angry now. "There's a rumor being spread around, by a James Sheffield, that has completely tarnished your reputation," Tyler's mouth drops open, that's.. that's _his_ James. "Rumor has it that you've slept with him," Tyler doesn't have the guts to tell his father that part of the rumor is true. "And that you will sleep with anyone that comes knocking. Now, what do you suppose that does to your honor? It throws it to the garbage. Everyone's saying that even though you're of age to be married, no one is willing to actually marry you. But you know who is? Lord Jamie of Bayapand. And now, whether you want to or not, you and him are to be wed on Saturday."

"Of course, of course father. As you wish," Tyler says, trying to swallow the knot in his throat down. "May I be excused, Your Majesty?"

"You may."

He bows before he makes his hasty exit, stomping up to his room to cry all of this away, or rather, to cry until it's time for the ball.

\--

There’s a knock on Tyler’s door a couple of hours later. He didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep until his mother was at the foot of his bed, looking at him with question. Oh, that’s right, no one knew about his relationship with James Sheffield. Well, now no one would have to, considering the relationship was nonexistent at this point. 

Seriously? He had put all of his trust into someone that apparently was just going to betray him in such a vile way. They had been sneaking around, sure, but Tyler had been planning on telling his parents about them, so that they could finally be together.

“Tyler, hon,” his mom says, lightly gripping his ankle and gently squeezing. “The Benn’s will be here soon. You have to get up and welcome them.”

“Why would I want to do that?” Tyler asks, voice thick with sleep. “I don’t like half the people you guys invite to these things anyway.”

“Come on, the Benn’s are your future family-in-law. You _have_ to be there to welcome them in. It’s only curteous.”

Tyler closes his eyes and exhales, letting all the air that’s built up in his lungs escape. He forces himself up and takes the hand his mother’s offering him, trying his best to put a smile on his face; his mom has enough to worry about, she doesn’t need one more thing.

“Are Cas and Candace coming tonight?”

“Cas and John will join us around mid-ball,” his mother says, hooking her arm through the one Tyler’s offering. “Candace and Steve should be here soon after the Benn’s. You want to know something?”

“Sure.”

“They say, now I don’t know if this is true, I haven’t seen it for myself, they say that Lord Jamie’s gotten in shape. You know how he was a little thick around the edges, well, they say that he’s gotten quite fit.”

“Oh really?” Tyler asks, an eyebrow arched. 

“Yes, really.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see for ourselves.”

\--

Meeting the Benn’s is actually more relaxing than what Tyler could’ve thought. They’re nice and friendly, all smiles and laughs as Tyler makes jokes. It turns out Jamie wasn’t with them, since he was at a suit fitting, but he would be joining them around the time his sister Cas and her husband John would be. 

Soon after he’s done introducing himself to the Benn’s, other guests start arriving. They’re all dressed in dark colors, blues and greens and greys. The women seemed to be dressed in old timey dresses, and it’s all actually really nice, even though Tyler can’t help but feel his smile being stretched too thin. 

He’s by himself, drinking some brandy, leaning slightly against the wall as he watches people dance to the slow, mellow music, when he feels someone stand next to him. He doesn’t bother looking at said person, because heck, he doesn’t have to make contact with anyone he doesn’t want to. 

“Lord Boring, eh?” the person says, and Tyler’s frozen, that voice is all too familiar. “I heard he’s pretty nice, though.”

“Uh,” Tyler says, trying to think of something to say, something that doesn’t make him seem like an even bigger jerk. “I.. I bet he is. Listen..”

“‘S alright. I like being boring, y’know? Saves me from a lot of drama so I’m okay with it.”

Tyler winces, he probably should have seen that one coming. He finally looks up, only to see that Jamie’s already looking at him. There’s not much height difference between them, but it seems like they’re miles apart, even though they’re only a few inches from each other.

“So, we’re getting married on Saturday. Are you sure you still want to do that? I mean, you still have plenty of time to back out, y'know, now that you've seen me.”

Tyler's about to suggest that they call off the wedding -- he's not really sure he's ready to be involved with someone so soon after James -- when he sees James out of the corner of his eye. All the anger that's built up over the past couple of hours, manages to make its way back to the surface. 

He exhales before he's saying, "I'm a Seguin and Seguin's don't back out of anything. Of course we're getting married on Saturday," he watches Jamie's lips curl up into a smile before he continues. "Now if you excuse me, Lord Jamie of Bayapand, I have to kick an unwelcomed guest out of this ball."

Tyler doesn't see Jamie bow to him because he's already halfway across the room, huffing and cursing under his breath. He cannot believe that, after what James did, he would have the _audacity_ to show up to his parents' ball. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tyler growls. "How dare you show up to my parents' ball after what you did?"

"What do you mean after what I did?" James returns, face scrunching up in confusion. "I haven't done anything but plan for our getaway. How could that possibly have angered you, when you.. when you're the one that asked for this!?"

"Don't try to play innocent with me! I know that's not what's kept you busy over the past few days. Why would you even say something like that? I thought I made it clear, the first time we got together, that you were my first and that I would have no one else but you. How could you have done something like that?"

"How could I have not? Hmm? There were already rumors going around that your parents were planning on marrying you to someone else. How did you think that made me feel, huh? It's not like I wanted to tarnish your reputation to the point where you no longer were an eligible bachelor, that.. that just happened, okay? There was never any intention to hurt you. I just thought that if I couldn't have you forever them no one could."

"Well now you've fucked up," Tyler laughs bitterly. "You won't ever have me again because I've decided to go on with the marriage to Lord Jamie of Bayapand."

"But Tyler," James pleads. 

"No, nothing. You had your chance. You could have talked to me about these rumors, I would've spoken to my parents about them. I would have told them about you and me. But you decided to go out and be really stupid about this whole thing. Now, please leave this ball, and never look for me again."

\--

Tyler excuses himself from the ball -- "Just for a bit, mom, I promise. I'm going to come back. I just need some time to get myself together." -- and goes up to his room. He's standing on the balcony, so focused on trying not to cry, that he doesn't hear Jamie come in. 

"Hey," Jamie says, stepping in beside Tyler. "Your mom sent me up to tell you that it's time for our first dance or something like that."

"Of course she did," Tyler laughs humorlessly.

"Listen, I don't know what happened with that guy that made you this upset, and please forgive me if I overstep my boundaries even a little bit, but whatever he did, it's not worth your worry. He's not worth any of your tears, no one is," Jamie walks closer to Tyler and wraps an arm around him, "I won't promise that I won't ever make you upset, mostly because I'm boring as all hell and I'll want to stay at home," Tyler laughs and he can feel Jamie running his hand up and down Tyler's arm, squeezing him closer, "I'll want to stay at home instead of going out, but beside that, I swear to you that I'll try my hardest to make you happy. I swear that I will try my hardest to be the best husband ever, you won't want to be with anyone else."

"As if anyone would want me."

"Nonsense, I mean, look at you. You could have anyone you wanted. You're gorgeous."

"You're only saying that because we're about to get married and you want me to like you," Tyler laughs.

"No, I'm not lying," Jamie says, traces of fondness in his voice. "Ever since the first time I saw you and you saw me, and believe me, I know I wasn't a pretty sight, but I told myself: maybe if I get fit he'll notice me."

"Jamie," Tyler whispers in shock, turning his head to look at him. "I.. it's not.. you.. it's not about your appearance. Believe me."

"'S alright, I mean, I have to compensate for me being boring, eh?"

Tyler frowns, and then Jamie's tilting Tyler's face down, and then he's kissing his forehead, and then he's hugging him close, and then Tyler's -

"We should go dance," Jamie says. "It's not often that I'm willing to do fun things, so you might as well appreciate it while you can."

\--

The rest of the night passes in a blur. There’s lots of drinking, lots of dancing, and lots of laughing. It’s not long before Tyler wakes up on the morning of his wedding and he starts freaking out. He thinks of the ridiculous events that have unfolded within the past few days. He thinks about what it’s going to be like being married to someone he barely knows, what it’s going to be like not being with the person he thought that he’d be spending the rest of his life with. It’s all too tragic and confusing, and nothing anyone could say is going to make him feel better. Before he throws up though, there’s a knock at his door.

“Come in,” he says, voice eerily steady. “I’m decent.”

His mother pops in, a huge smile across her face. It seems like she’s ready to go for the ceremony. She shakes her head and says, “Tyler! I cannot believe you were still asleep. Your wedding ceremony is in two hours!”

“Two hours!? But mom, no one even told me when the wedding was going to be. Mother, I didn’t even get a proper suit.”

“No worries, I had your father’s brought up from the Cortsit palace. I think it’ll fit you well and it’ll mean a lot to your father that you wear it.”

“Wait,” Tyler says before he sits up. “How.. when.. _how_ did you find the time to bring dad’s suit all the way from Cortsit to _Edinburg_? That’s not a short drive or anything, by any means. Surely you didn’t bring father’s suit.”

“Ah, but my darling, it seems you do not know your mother very well. I had it shipped up here last week.”

Tyler narrows his eyes, eyeing his mother suspiciously, “But you just told me about the marriage last week! Oh my god, you knew that I was going to end up with Lord Jamie, didn’t you!? I cannot believe this!”

“Honey, there’s no need to get upset. Lord Jamie is a very prestigious young man, he’s easy on the eyes, and I’m sure he’ll love you like no other. He’s going to be faithful. You’re going to be happy with him. Trust me.”

\--

As fate would have it, or rather, tradition, Jamie’s already at the altar when Tyler is walking down the aisle. He’s looking at him like there’s nowhere else that he’d rather be, looking at him like there’s no one else he’d rather be with at this moment. Jamie is looking at Tyler like it’s something that he actually really fucking _wants_ , which is weird because Tyler’s pretty sure Jamie got pressured into this marriage as well. Maybe it’s all for the show.

“You look great,” Jamie says, bowing slightly. 

“Uh, thanks. You too,” Tyler replies. “So, uh, here we go, eh?”

“Yeah, here we go.”

“Dearly beloved,” the officiant begins. “We are gathered here today for the adjoining of these two wonderful souls; Your Highness Tyler Seguin of Edinburg and Lord Jamie Benn of Bayapand. Join us in celebrating this wonderful moment with them.”

The officiant goes on to say how a marriage should be one of love and compassion, and understanding, stating that people who chose to make this commitment are very brave. Then the officiant goes on to say how they should be proud of making their love known, because love is a very wonderful thing.

“Now,” the officiant says. “Do you, Your Highness Tyler Seguin of Edinburg, take him, Lord Jamie Benn of Bayapand, as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and support, and help carry through the tough and good times?”

“I do,” Tyler says, trying his best to not let his voice crack; he never imagined that he would be standing here, in front of a complete stranger. 

“And do you, Lord Jamie Benn of Bayapand, take him, Your Highness Tyler Seguin of Edinburg, as your lawfully wedded husband, to care for and understand through the highs and lows?” 

“I do,” Jamie replies, looking at Tyler with a wide smile. “I do.”

“You may now kiss one another.”

Tyler closes his eyes and then he feels Jamie’s thumb swipe across his jaw. He holds his breath and then he feels Jamie’s lips on his. They’re soft and they’re warm, Jamie doesn’t kiss him too hard, but he also doesn’t kiss Tyler long enough, because next thing Tyler knows, Jamie is pulling back, a soft smile on his face. 

Tyler blushes a little and then he’s hooking his arm in Jamie’s. They walk down the aisle slowly. Tyler looks around and his mom is all teary eyed and he has to turn away because he feels like he’ll cry too, if he doesn't turn away.

“You’re doing great,” Jamie says, low enough for only Tyler to hear. 

“Thanks,” Tyler mumbles. “I hope I don’t embarrass you.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t.”

\--

Jamie and Tyler are sitting at the highlight table, acknowledging guests as they come in, nodding politely and smiling. They’re seated close to each other, but not so close that their arms touch. Tyler doesn’t mind. 

“-you having fun?” Jamie asks, leaning down and whispering in Tyler’s ear. His breath is hot and it sends chills down Tyler’s neck. 

“I’m having a grand time,” Tyler replies, trying to keep his voice steady, trying not to mind Jamie’s hot breath. “It’s almost time for our first dance, eh?”

“Yeah. I’m surprised that it’s been this long. My first wedding, our first dance was like five minutes after we entered the ballroom as a married couple.”

“Y.. you’ve been married before?”

Jamie hesitates for a while, his eyes close for a couple of seconds and then he opens them, exhales and says, “Uh, yeah, uh, I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before. I just don’t really, y’know, I don’t like to-”

“Say no more.”

Jamie smiles and before he’s able to say anything, Tyler’s mom is calling them to the dance floor, informing them that it’s time for their first dance. 

Jamie stands up first, offering a hand for Tyler, which he takes with a smile and then they're off to the center of the dance floor. Everybody's made room for them -- about a fourth of the people standing in front of each wall -- and they're all looking at them expectantly. Jamie and Tyler bow slightly and then proceed to mold against each other; Tyler has his right hand on Jamie's shoulder and the other entangled in Jamie's right hand. Jamie has the hand that's not entangled in Tyler's, his left, on Tyler's waist.

They sway and move about the dance floor, looking into each other's eyes and forgetting all about the people around them. Jamie closes his eyes for just a second, and then he opens them again, smiling widely at Tyler. Near the end of their dance, Jamie twirls Tyler a couple of times and then bows for him. 

Not the best dance Tyler's ever had, but he figures they have more than enough time to get there.

\--

Once most of the guests have begun to clear out, Jamie decides that it’s probably a good time to ask Tyler about their living arrangements. He sees Tyler speaking to his parents, smiles on their faces, probably talking about the wedding.

“Your Majesty,” bow. “Your Highness,” bow. “Mrs. Seguin. I just came over to speak to you about living arrangements. We didn’t get to speak much about the situation during the reception so I thought now would be a good time.”

“Do you wish for us to depart?” Tyler’s dad says. 

“As king of this country,” Tyler begins, giving him a ‘please leave’ look. “You do what you see fit, father.”

His dad looks surprised at having his words used against him, but smirks anyway. They leave and Jamie bows after them. There’s a couple of seconds of silence after Tyler’s parents leave that are spent awkwardly staring at nothing in front of them.

“So, uh, we’re married now,” Jamie says, startling Tyler. “I know how I want this to be done, but we’re making decisions together now and I want you to be able to voice your opinion.”

“You are my husband now and I will do whatever you think is fit for us to do,” Tyler replies, looking up at Jamie. “If you think it’s fit for me to stay here with my parents, then I will stay here. If you think it’s time for me to leave with you, then I will not refuse anything, and I will grab my bags and leave with you. To your home.”

“To _our_ home, Tyler, to _our_ home. Whatever was only mine before, is yours now, too.”

“So I take this as you wanting me to go live with you, yeah?”

“Yes, of course. You will have your own everything at our home so there’s no need to worry about your privacy. You’ll have your own room, own washroom, own chauffeur. Everything.”

“You do not wish for me to sleep next to you?” Tyler asks, taken aback that Jamie wants him to have his own room. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no, no,” Jamie replies, waving his hands in front of him. “I just wish for you to be comfortable. I know that it’s not easy being twenty and be forced into marriage with, uh, with someone like me.”

“Someone like you?”

“Yeah, y’know, boring. Ugly. Busy.”

“Jamie, who told you that you’re u-”

“There’s no need to lie, Tyler, you’ve already got me,” Jamie laughs humorlessly. “I mean, I know what I look like, and it’s okay. One of us had to be the ugly one in the marriage and that definitely will never be you.”

Tyler feels his cheeks heat up. He ducks his head and smiles, looking up at Jamie a few seconds after. 

“You’re really spoiling me here, Jamie. You have to let me spoil you too, okay?” he asks, rubbing Jamie’s arm. “I want to sleep next to you, if that’s alright, and then I want to wake up and make you breakfast. Then I’m going to want to bring you the breakfast I made, and while you’re eating it, I’ll want to blow you,” Jamie’s cheeks color at that, his eyes widening a bit in surprise. “Then you’ll shower and I’ll help you get dressed. You’ll go on with your day and then we’ll have dinner together, go to sleep, wake up and do it all over again.”

“Tyler, you don’t have to-”

“I want to,” Tyler says earnestly. “I don’t want to screw up this relationship thing again.”

\--

Tyler’s been living with Jamie for two weeks now. He’s done all the things he’s promised Jamie, except for blowing him. Tyler doesn’t think he’s ready, he doesn’t think he’s ready to put his lips on someone else’s _thing_ yet. He’s having trouble getting James out of his head, and he doesn’t think that is going to change any time soon. He twists and turns in bed -- almost knocking Jamie in the head with his elbow once -- because he still has dreams about the two of them. He still has dreams about the promises James made of never leaving Tyler, has dreams about James telling him that he would never do anything to hurt him. It hurts. Hurts because now he's in a loveless marriage with someone he barely knows anything about. 

“What are you thinking about?” Jamie asks, putting his right forearm against his eyes. “You’ve been moving all night and I can’t sleep in peace.”

“Uh,” Tyler mumbles, a bit startled that he’d woken Jamie up. “It’s nothing. It’s really nothing, I’m fine. I'm sorry.”

“Listen, if this marriage is going to work, you have to tell me things. Good communication is key.”

“I said I’m fine, alright!? I’m going to sleep in the guest room because I honestly don’t feel like dealing with this.”

Jamie sighs, and as Tyler’s about to push the covers off himself, he grabs his wrist. He manages to pull Tyler closer until Tyler’s back is flush against Jamie’s side. Jamie’s left arm goes under Tyler’s neck, and his right hand against Tyler’s side. Jamie rubs Tyler’s side up and down a couple of times before he speaks: “I’m just trying to make you as comfortable as I can. But, in order for that to happen, you’ve got to talk to me, okay? I can’t help you if you won’t tell me anything.”

“It’s just.. James, y’know?” Tyler says deflated, and Jamie hums in response. “I can’t.. I don’t.. I don’t want to talk about it. At least not right now, okay? Maybe this weekend, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay.”

\--

“...so, uh, I’m heading out to Edinburg tomorrow night,” Jamie says at dinner one night. “I’m going to be in for business for a week and I was wondering if you’d maybe want to come with me? I know you haven’t seen your family since we got married, so I thought you may want to.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Tyler says, swallowing his food. “Uh, are you going to be doing business all week?”

“Well, originally, yes. I was going to stay for five days, then I remembered, I was like ‘oh wait, I’m married now’ so I thought, ‘why not?’ We could spend the weekend in your parents’ house if you want.”

"Oh yeah, of course. I'm sure my parents will be fine with it. They hadn't had a son-in-law stay with them since my sister Candace got married to Steve. It'll be nice. We should definitely stay with them."

"Okay, then, I guess we know what we're doing this weekend."

\--

When Tyler and Jamie arrive in Bayapand, as they’re getting ready for bed, Jamie hauls Tyler in for a kiss. At first, Tyler doesn’t think it’ll happen because they haven’t kissed since their wedding, and because Jamie seems hesitant, his eyes searching Tyler’s face for some sort of reply, but then Tyler’s feeling Jamie’s soft, warm lips on his. He feels Jamie start to pull away, so he settles his hands on Jamie’s hips and starts kissing him back.

It’s not long before they end up in bed, pulling each other closer, wanting to feel their skin touching. And it’s not long before Tyler’s feeling Jamie on his leg, pressing and insistent. And then he’s feeling Jamie sneak his hand up his shirt, moving farther up, near his chest. 

Tyler finally breaks the kiss and looks at Jamie, tears suddenly stinging at his eyes. He’s.. he’s just _not_ ready to be like this with anyone yet. He doesn’t think he’s ready to feel someone else’s skin on his, completely naked and bare. He’s just not ready to be with someone the way he was with James.

“Hey,” Jamie says soothingly, stroking Tyler’s cheek. “It’s alright, it’s fine. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” Tyler sobs.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Just because we’re married, doesn’t mean you owe me anything. I don’t want you to do this until you feel like _you’re_ ready. Tyler, Tyler, look at me. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this because you feel like you owe me anything, you don’t, okay? I want you to do this because it’s something that you want. It’s alright babe, it’s alright.”

\--

The next morning, at breakfast, Tyler can't bring himself to look Jamie in the eyes. He feels like he's let Jamie down somehow, like he's embarrassed him in such a way that even by looking him in the eyes, he'll bring shame to Jamie and Jamie will never be able to look at him in the eyes again. 

So he spends breakfast looking down at his plate, mumbling vague answers whenever Jamie asks him something. And it's not until Tyler's picking up their dishes (because he feels like the staff already does enough) that Jamie catches his attention. 

As he's clearing the table, Jamie catches Tyler's wrist and says, "Is everything alright? You haven't looked at me all morning."

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Tyler mumbles, still not looking at Jamie. 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Jamie let’s Tyler go, thankfully, but he’s weary of him all morning. It’s not until Jamie goes into his study that Tyler finally feels at peace again. He knows, because Jamie told him so last night, he knows that he doesn’t owe Jamie anything. But there’s something deep inside him that starts to tell him that he _does_ owe Jamie _something_. May or may not be sex, but he at least owes him a sort of a ‘thank you’ for marrying him. 

He may not have been comfortable with the thought of marrying him at first, but after living with him for about a month, he’s gotten more used to the fact that Jamie’s going to be the man that he’s going to be spending the rest of his life with. Jamie’s going to be the one he gets to wake up to, goes to sleep with, eat breakfast and dinner with. Tyler knows that Jamie’s going to be the one he hangs out with on Sundays, after Jamie’s done with his study, knows that it’ll be Jamie he has to take care of when he’s sick.

Tyler _knows_ that it’s going to be Jamie the one he’s spending his time with, and suddenly, it doesn’t seem so bad.

\--

They see James the second time they go to Edinburg. This time’s not for business, but rather, for Tyler’s birthday party. He’s hoping that his party is a big one, since turning twenty-one is a big event in the Seguin dynasty, not that he’d call his family a dynasty, but his father always does, so he does too. 

Anyway, they see James for the first time since Tyler kicked him out of the ball. They don’t see him right away, or Jamie himself would’ve walked over and kicked him out. 

Tyler catches James out of the corner and then he’s frozen. No one else seems to notice. No one except Jamie. He wraps an arm around Tyler’s waist and leans down a bit, “Are you alright?” he whispers, but Tyler just nods. Jamie sighs and leaves it alone. 

It’s safe to say they’re both caught off guard when James walks up to them. 

“Nice to see you two are getting along,” he says, taking a sip of his drink. “Tyler’s a good fuck so good catch there.”

“James, what the fuck?” Tyler asks, wanting to punch him, but he feels Jamie’s arm keeping him in place. 

“Guards,” Jamie says, firm and urgent. “Take this peasant out of this event immediately.”

“But Jamie, James isn’t-”

“I know, but he’s sure acting like one right now. Guards take him out and if you see him outside the palace at any time, kick him off.”

\--

“How do you know James?” Tyler asks once they’re in bed that night. 

“He used to see my cousin, Amanda. They were going to get married, but then, I don’t know. Something happened and they broke up. I don’t know too much about it and I don’t think you want to know either.”

“I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally going to post this as one long piece, but as you can see, I decided against it. 
> 
> anyway, comments and kudos are a boost to my ego and therefore are greatly appreciated. thanks!!


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